Draft Picks: Celebrate imported beers with the Coast 2 Coast Toast

For some, the growth of the American brewing industry can mean paying less attention to offerings from overseas, particularly the established brewing countries from which today's stateside brewers gained so much knowledge and inspiration.

On Nov. 14, there will be a chance to reacquaint yourself with some of these beers, as Vanberg & DeWulf, one of the great names in importing, celebrates its third annual Coast 2 Coast Toast, a national event at bars and restaurants around the country that goes well beyond just the simple promo night.

A little history

Vanberg & DeWulf was founded by Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg in 1982 and has been committed to bringing the very best Belgian (and beyond) beers to the states. The pair lived in Belgium for a few years after graduating college, and Littlefield later said they started the company because they wanted to have an excuse to return and visit friends and breweries they loved.

Soon after, familiar beers from breweries such as Dupont, Lambickx, Scaldis and Foret began appearing on shelves across the states, enticing new generations of beer drinkers with classic styles made to the highest standards.

Feinberg and Littlefield would also go on to create their own brewery, a Belgian-inspired operation in Cooperstown, N.Y., known as Brewery Ommegang, which also did its part through its offerings to inspire beer lovers. Though they would later sell Ommegang to Duvel Moorgat, Vanberg & DeWulf survived and now imports beers not only from Belgium, but the United Kingdom, Iceland, and beyond.

They started the Coast 2 Coast Toast to mark their 30th anniversary, but also because they wanted to remind people that many of the American beers they were enjoying had historical roots, and also to bridge the gap between established beer bars and some newcomers that also appreciated the classics.

In three years it seems to have worked. Last year, I attended an event at the Ginger Man, a great beer bar in Manhattan. Rather than a beer festival, or a stuffy dinner, it was a bringing together of beer geeks and connoisseurs, drinkers just learning the beverage and established industry professionals happy to dole out knowledge. It was like a fun cocktail party where everyone was sipping saisons and lambics, and generally enjoying life. In short, it was a near-perfect event in the true spirit of the social beverage.

Close to home

Fortunately, you don't have to cross the Hudson this year to enjoy the Coast 2 Coast Toast (although you can) because there are several events planned throughout the Garden State.

One that caught my eye is a five-course meal at the Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick. It includes spiked sweet potato soup with house-preserved Applejack cherries; hunters salad of mushrooms root vegetables; bison short ribs, espresso rubbed with roasted pickled carrots and cauliflower gratin; venison with roasted purple cauliflower, pine nuts and golden raisins; and an apple and cheddar tart. For $99 per person, each course is paired with a beer from the Vanberg & DeWulf portfolio. The restaurant is still accepting reservations through its website or by calling 732-828-4444.

At home

If you'd rather stay home and enjoy some imported tastes from the comfort of your own chair, the Vanberg & DeWulf beers are available throughout the state, and I'm happy to report that the Wine Library in Springfield is especially well stocked, according to beer director Graham Haverfield.

No matter what, make sure that if you're drinking a Vanberg & DeWulf beer to use the beer tracking program Untappd (more on that next week) because you can then enter to win two round-trip plane tickets to Belgium, so you can see the breweries we've all come to love up close and in person. Now, that's something to toast to. To see a full list of events, Vanberg & DeWulf beers, and some excellent recipes and pairing suggestions visit www.belgianexperts.com

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Draft Picks: Celebrate imported beers with the Coast 2 Coast Toast

For some, the growth of the American brewing industry can mean paying less attention to offerings from overseas, particularly the established brewing countries from which today's stateside brewers

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